1 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:07,480 Speaker 1: Welcome to Aaron Manke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of 2 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:09,360 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild. 3 00:00:12,880 --> 00:00:16,880 Speaker 2: Our world is full of the unexplainable, and if history 4 00:00:17,079 --> 00:00:20,560 Speaker 2: is an open book, all of these amazing tales right 5 00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:25,720 Speaker 2: there on display, just waiting for us to explore. Welcome 6 00:00:26,880 --> 00:00:39,080 Speaker 2: to the Cabinet of Curiosities. Bob Nelson was born in Boston, Massachusetts, 7 00:00:39,159 --> 00:00:41,919 Speaker 2: in nineteen thirty six. From the moment he let out 8 00:00:41,920 --> 00:00:45,280 Speaker 2: his first cry, the cards were stacked against him. His 9 00:00:45,400 --> 00:00:49,640 Speaker 2: father left, his mother struggled with substance abuse. His stepdad 10 00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:53,080 Speaker 2: was a literal mob boss. With zero support or guidance. 11 00:00:53,280 --> 00:00:55,880 Speaker 2: Bomb dropped out of high school in the mid nineteen fifties. 12 00:00:56,320 --> 00:00:59,760 Speaker 2: He drifted around Boston before moving to Los Angeles, California, 13 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:03,640 Speaker 2: where he got a job as a television repairman. Bob 14 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:06,240 Speaker 2: liked to work, and he kept the job for years, 15 00:01:06,520 --> 00:01:09,039 Speaker 2: and then in nineteen sixty two, when he was twenty 16 00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:11,880 Speaker 2: seven years old, something happened that changed the course of 17 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:15,039 Speaker 2: his life forever. He happened upon a book called The 18 00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:18,800 Speaker 2: Prospect of Immortality. The title caught his eye and he 19 00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:22,560 Speaker 2: started reading. In the opening pages, the author, doctor Robert 20 00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:26,240 Speaker 2: Ettinger wrote, most of us now living have a chance 21 00:01:26,319 --> 00:01:30,399 Speaker 2: for personal physical immortality. We need only arrange to have 22 00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:34,520 Speaker 2: our bodies after we die stored in suitable freezers against 23 00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:37,479 Speaker 2: the time when science may be able to help us. 24 00:01:37,800 --> 00:01:40,440 Speaker 2: Sooner or later. Our friends of the future should be 25 00:01:40,480 --> 00:01:44,360 Speaker 2: equal to the task of reviving and curing us. This 26 00:01:44,520 --> 00:01:47,840 Speaker 2: idea became known as the theory of cryonics, and it 27 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:50,560 Speaker 2: must have come as quite a shock to Bob. Remember 28 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:53,520 Speaker 2: this was nineteen sixty two. There had never been a 29 00:01:53,600 --> 00:01:56,960 Speaker 2: successful heart transplant before. The theory that a person could 30 00:01:56,960 --> 00:01:59,520 Speaker 2: be frozen and brought back to life was less medical 31 00:01:59,560 --> 00:02:03,520 Speaker 2: and i'm more science fictional. But Bob, nearing thirty years 32 00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:06,400 Speaker 2: old and not having much to show for it, desperately 33 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:10,520 Speaker 2: needed something to believe in. The prospect of immortality became 34 00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:14,000 Speaker 2: his bible, and he wasn't the only one. That same year, 35 00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:16,760 Speaker 2: he saw a flyer for a meeting of the Cryonics 36 00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:20,840 Speaker 2: Society of California. The prospect of immortality had made such 37 00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:24,040 Speaker 2: a stir that people were actually organizing and trying to 38 00:02:24,080 --> 00:02:27,400 Speaker 2: make the author's theory a reality. The Bob made a 39 00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:30,160 Speaker 2: note of the date and address. The night of the meeting, 40 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:33,400 Speaker 2: he was nervous. He later told a reporter, and I quote, 41 00:02:33,720 --> 00:02:36,400 Speaker 2: I remember going and thinking I'm not going to be 42 00:02:36,440 --> 00:02:39,799 Speaker 2: allowed in because I'm not a scientist. I went in 43 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:43,360 Speaker 2: and I came out voted president. Just like that, Bob 44 00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:46,240 Speaker 2: found himself serving as a leader in a growing movement. 45 00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:49,760 Speaker 2: He embraced his role, connecting with dozens of others who 46 00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:52,800 Speaker 2: were as passionate about cryonics as him. There was just 47 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:56,919 Speaker 2: one problem. None of them were actual doctors or scientists. 48 00:02:57,600 --> 00:02:58,120 Speaker 2: On the whole. 49 00:02:58,200 --> 00:03:03,360 Speaker 1: The Los Angeles cryonics community was populated by self identified futurists, 50 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:06,840 Speaker 1: people who were interested in technology that might arise in 51 00:03:06,880 --> 00:03:10,320 Speaker 1: the future. They were basically a ragtag group of dreamers 52 00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:13,600 Speaker 1: with a very loose grip on medical science. All their 53 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:17,240 Speaker 1: plans for freezing human bodies were purely theoretical, that is 54 00:03:17,720 --> 00:03:21,120 Speaker 1: until nineteen sixty six. That year, a seventy three year 55 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:25,119 Speaker 1: old psychology professor named doctor James Bedford joined the Cryonic 56 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:28,040 Speaker 1: Society of California. But he didn't plan on being a 57 00:03:28,080 --> 00:03:30,600 Speaker 1: member for long. He was dying of kidney cancer, and 58 00:03:30,639 --> 00:03:33,560 Speaker 1: he volunteered to be the first ever human cryonically frozen. 59 00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:38,200 Speaker 1: The Cryonic Society agreed to doctor Bedford's wishes. As morbid 60 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:41,240 Speaker 1: as it sounds, they were actually excited about the opportunity 61 00:03:41,280 --> 00:03:43,920 Speaker 1: to make their dreams a reality, and they got to 62 00:03:43,960 --> 00:03:46,880 Speaker 1: work right away. Bob contracted a company to build a 63 00:03:46,960 --> 00:03:51,280 Speaker 1: cryonic capsule, which is basically a super insulated coffin, and 64 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:55,200 Speaker 1: started trying to source liquid nitrogen. But the Society's plans 65 00:03:55,240 --> 00:03:59,080 Speaker 1: quickly went awry. Doctor Bedford died much sooner than anticipated, 66 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:02,040 Speaker 1: weeks before or the cryonic capsule was set to be finished, 67 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:05,000 Speaker 1: and before they had any liquid nitrogen at their disposal. 68 00:04:05,960 --> 00:04:09,280 Speaker 1: As the president of the Cryonic Society, this was Bob's 69 00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:12,480 Speaker 1: problem to solve. Unsure what else to do, he contacted 70 00:04:12,560 --> 00:04:15,720 Speaker 1: friends and neighbors, asking them for help. He scrounged up 71 00:04:15,800 --> 00:04:17,960 Speaker 1: enough ice to fill the bed of his truck, and 72 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:21,160 Speaker 1: then he put doctor Bedford's body inside and drove the 73 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:23,719 Speaker 1: corpse to a friend's house, where it stayed in a 74 00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:27,560 Speaker 1: freezer for three weeks. Surely this wasn't what the late 75 00:04:27,560 --> 00:04:30,200 Speaker 1: professor had signed up for, but there was no turning 76 00:04:30,279 --> 00:04:34,279 Speaker 1: back now. When the cryonic capsule was finally finished, doctor 77 00:04:34,279 --> 00:04:37,320 Speaker 1: Bedford was frozen right away, or at least the way 78 00:04:37,320 --> 00:04:41,160 Speaker 1: the Cryonic Society thought was right. A mortician injected him 79 00:04:41,200 --> 00:04:44,400 Speaker 1: with a medical grade anti freeze, and a special machine 80 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:48,159 Speaker 1: pumped oxygen into a system. The liquid nitrogen still hadn't 81 00:04:48,200 --> 00:04:50,560 Speaker 1: come in yet, so they lined the coffin with dry 82 00:04:50,600 --> 00:04:54,800 Speaker 1: ice and put doctor Bedford's body inside, for all its 83 00:04:55,040 --> 00:05:00,000 Speaker 1: gore and imperfection. The Cryonic Society touted this as a success. 84 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:03,040 Speaker 1: Nelson had led the world's first cryonic freeze, and he 85 00:05:03,080 --> 00:05:05,440 Speaker 1: did it without so much as a high school diploma. 86 00:05:06,120 --> 00:05:09,599 Speaker 1: The story inspired futurists worldwide, and more signed up to 87 00:05:09,640 --> 00:05:13,760 Speaker 1: have their bodies preserved. Many of the attempts were total disasters, 88 00:05:13,960 --> 00:05:18,000 Speaker 1: but around five hundred people, including doctor Bedford, remained frozen 89 00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:20,760 Speaker 1: to this day, awaiting a future in which they might 90 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:24,359 Speaker 1: be resurrected. And while many modern scientists say cryonics is 91 00:05:24,440 --> 00:05:27,640 Speaker 1: just wishful thinking, others believe there could be some truth 92 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:31,680 Speaker 1: to the theory. Just ask MIT graduate Robert McIntyre. In 93 00:05:31,680 --> 00:05:35,960 Speaker 1: twenty sixteen, he successfully froze a rabbit and then brought 94 00:05:35,960 --> 00:05:38,840 Speaker 1: it back to life. The rabbit was unable to make 95 00:05:38,880 --> 00:05:41,840 Speaker 1: an official statement on the matter. But if doctor Bedford 96 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:44,600 Speaker 1: is ever revived, I imagine that he'll be anxious for 97 00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:49,320 Speaker 1: some conversation. Luckily he won't have any problem breaking the ice. 98 00:06:04,080 --> 00:06:07,240 Speaker 1: Sometimes a mistake is like a pencil on paper. It's 99 00:06:07,279 --> 00:06:10,119 Speaker 1: easy to erase. You can apologize, go back and fix 100 00:06:10,160 --> 00:06:13,640 Speaker 1: your work and do better in the future. But other times, 101 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:16,960 Speaker 1: one small oversight is like stepping on a landmine. It 102 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:19,800 Speaker 1: sends your whole life up into smoke. Just take the 103 00:06:19,839 --> 00:06:23,600 Speaker 1: story of e. Forbes Smiley. Beginning in the nineteen eighties, 104 00:06:23,839 --> 00:06:26,960 Speaker 1: Smiley worked as an antique map dealer. A tall, well 105 00:06:27,040 --> 00:06:30,360 Speaker 1: dressed man with glasses and gray hair, he certainly looked 106 00:06:30,360 --> 00:06:33,920 Speaker 1: the part. He specialized in rare maps with artistic or 107 00:06:34,200 --> 00:06:38,240 Speaker 1: historical value, especially those from the American colonial era, and 108 00:06:38,400 --> 00:06:41,040 Speaker 1: he was credited with assembling some of the most important 109 00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:44,480 Speaker 1: map collections in North America. He often spent his days 110 00:06:44,520 --> 00:06:48,640 Speaker 1: pouring through the archives at esteemed institutions like the British Library, 111 00:06:48,760 --> 00:06:53,120 Speaker 1: the New York Public Library, and Harvard University. Smiley was 112 00:06:53,240 --> 00:06:57,200 Speaker 1: extremely successful in his field. He owned multiple homes, He 113 00:06:57,240 --> 00:07:00,719 Speaker 1: went on frequent lavish vacations. He had last network of 114 00:07:00,760 --> 00:07:04,080 Speaker 1: friends in the art community, including wealthy clients and well 115 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:07,960 Speaker 1: respected academics. All of this to say, when Smiley entered 116 00:07:08,040 --> 00:07:11,640 Speaker 1: Yale University's bin a key rare book and manuscript library 117 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:14,520 Speaker 1: on June eighth of two thousand and five. The staff 118 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:16,920 Speaker 1: recognized him. They were happy to set him up with 119 00:07:16,960 --> 00:07:19,120 Speaker 1: a table in a chair where he could sit and 120 00:07:19,160 --> 00:07:22,880 Speaker 1: peruse a stack of books filled with rare maps. As 121 00:07:22,920 --> 00:07:25,720 Speaker 1: he flipped through the pages, Smiley felt a tickle on 122 00:07:25,760 --> 00:07:28,520 Speaker 1: his nose. He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket 123 00:07:28,720 --> 00:07:31,400 Speaker 1: and sneezed into it. He had no idea, though, that 124 00:07:31,440 --> 00:07:33,680 Speaker 1: at that very moment, he had made a mistake that 125 00:07:33,720 --> 00:07:37,120 Speaker 1: would ruin his career forever. When he was finished with 126 00:07:37,160 --> 00:07:39,600 Speaker 1: the books, he got up, pushed in his chair, and 127 00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:42,560 Speaker 1: wave goodbye to the librarian. She went to tidy up 128 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:46,040 Speaker 1: the table and notice something on the floor right beside 129 00:07:46,040 --> 00:07:48,640 Speaker 1: the chair that Smiley had been sitting on was the 130 00:07:48,640 --> 00:07:52,920 Speaker 1: blade of an exacto knife. The librarian panicked. There was 131 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:55,480 Speaker 1: only one reason a person would bring something like that 132 00:07:55,640 --> 00:07:58,120 Speaker 1: into the biny key. She ran to call security, and 133 00:07:58,200 --> 00:08:01,600 Speaker 1: officers caught Smiley before he made it off campus. They 134 00:08:01,720 --> 00:08:04,920 Speaker 1: searched the antique dealer's briefcase, and inside they found three 135 00:08:05,120 --> 00:08:08,640 Speaker 1: rare documents, one of which was extremely significant. It was 136 00:08:08,680 --> 00:08:12,560 Speaker 1: the first ever North American map to label Plymouth, Massachusetts, 137 00:08:12,680 --> 00:08:16,160 Speaker 1: and it was made by Captain James Cook. This paper 138 00:08:16,200 --> 00:08:19,040 Speaker 1: alone is estimated to be worth more than one hundred 139 00:08:19,080 --> 00:08:22,240 Speaker 1: and fifty thousand dollars, and Smiley had cut it right 140 00:08:22,320 --> 00:08:25,000 Speaker 1: out of those library books. He probably would have gotten 141 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:27,760 Speaker 1: away with it too, if not for that sneeze. When 142 00:08:27,760 --> 00:08:30,800 Speaker 1: he reached into his pocket for his handkerchief, he accidentally 143 00:08:30,880 --> 00:08:33,320 Speaker 1: dropped the blade of his Exacto knife onto the floor. 144 00:08:33,800 --> 00:08:38,640 Speaker 1: Talk about a fatal mistake, E Forbes. Smiley was promptly arrested. 145 00:08:38,960 --> 00:08:42,520 Speaker 1: A further search of his briefcase revealed even more rare documents. 146 00:08:42,840 --> 00:08:44,600 Speaker 1: When he went to trial in two thousand and six, 147 00:08:44,720 --> 00:08:47,880 Speaker 1: Smiley admitted to stealing at least ninety seven maps from 148 00:08:47,960 --> 00:08:52,280 Speaker 1: six different institutions, worth a total of about three million dollars. 149 00:08:52,760 --> 00:08:55,640 Speaker 1: As for why he did it, well, apparently the successful 150 00:08:55,679 --> 00:08:58,520 Speaker 1: antique dealer had accumulated quite a bit of debt. His 151 00:08:58,720 --> 00:09:01,560 Speaker 1: lavish lifestyle was bought on credit, and he found himself 152 00:09:01,640 --> 00:09:04,599 Speaker 1: unable to make the necessary payments, so he took to 153 00:09:04,679 --> 00:09:08,280 Speaker 1: nabbing rare maps and selling them quickly at a massive profit. 154 00:09:08,640 --> 00:09:11,600 Speaker 1: Because many of the documents he'd stolen had already been sold. 155 00:09:11,760 --> 00:09:14,760 Speaker 1: Collectors were forced to return items that they had paid 156 00:09:14,800 --> 00:09:18,120 Speaker 1: tens of thousands of dollars for. According to the judge, 157 00:09:18,120 --> 00:09:21,920 Speaker 1: though Smiley was very remorseful. After the ruse was up, 158 00:09:22,080 --> 00:09:24,600 Speaker 1: he made the effort to return as many stolen maps 159 00:09:24,600 --> 00:09:27,440 Speaker 1: as possible and agreed to pay two point three million 160 00:09:27,520 --> 00:09:31,200 Speaker 1: dollars in restitution. Because of this, he was only sentenced 161 00:09:31,200 --> 00:09:34,240 Speaker 1: to three and a half years in prison. These days, 162 00:09:34,440 --> 00:09:37,160 Speaker 1: Smiley is once again a free man, but his time 163 00:09:37,160 --> 00:09:40,400 Speaker 1: in the antique business is definitely over. He now works 164 00:09:40,440 --> 00:09:43,760 Speaker 1: as a web designer and landscaper on Martha's Vineyard, keeping 165 00:09:43,800 --> 00:09:47,880 Speaker 1: relatively low profile. It's obvious that e Forbes Smiley made 166 00:09:47,920 --> 00:09:50,680 Speaker 1: some very bad choices, but I think he'd prefer to 167 00:09:50,720 --> 00:09:53,400 Speaker 1: say that he simply lost his way. He fell off 168 00:09:53,440 --> 00:09:56,560 Speaker 1: the map for a while, and now hopefully he's back 169 00:09:56,679 --> 00:10:03,680 Speaker 1: on the right path. I hope you've enjoyed today's guided 170 00:10:03,720 --> 00:10:07,120 Speaker 1: tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on 171 00:10:07,160 --> 00:10:10,160 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or learn more about the show by visiting 172 00:10:10,320 --> 00:10:14,920 Speaker 1: Curiosities podcast dot com. The show was created by me 173 00:10:15,120 --> 00:10:18,720 Speaker 1: Aaron Mankey in partnership with how Stuff Works. I make 174 00:10:18,800 --> 00:10:22,319 Speaker 1: another Award winning show called Lore which is a podcast, 175 00:10:22,440 --> 00:10:25,400 Speaker 1: book series, and television show and you can learn all 176 00:10:25,400 --> 00:10:29,480 Speaker 1: about it over at the Worldoflore dot com. And until 177 00:10:29,520 --> 00:10:33,160 Speaker 1: next time, stay curious.